Israel’s Supreme Court on Friday froze a government order that would have barred dozens of international aid organizations from operating in the Gaza Strip and other Palestinian areas, issuing the ruling as Israeli strikes killed at least four people across the blockaded enclave, despite the cease-fire.
The Supreme Court's order, which followed a petition from 17 aid groups, effectively halted an earlier Israeli government decision that barred aid groups for refusing to comply with Israel's new rules.
Israel had announced it would ban 37 aid groups by March 1 for not abiding by rules introduced last year that require aid groups to register names and contact information of employees, and provide details about their funding and operations.
The groups view the rules as invasive and arbitrary, and say the ban would hinder critical assistance.
A U.S.-brokered cease-fire reached in October has halted major military operations. But Israel's two-year war has left much of the territory in ruins and most of Gaza's 2 million Palestinians reliant on international aid.
